Make no mistake: this is the definitive version of Konami's amphibian-driven arcade game. But because the original wasn't quite the masterpiece Pac-Man­ and Space Invaders were, it falls just short of those homages.

The main reason to play? You'll be able to transfer gold earned here to your Fable: The Journey character.

Yar's Revenge isn't bad, but all its pleasures are decidedly short-lived. [May 2011, p.71]

For a rather simplistic platformer, Alien Spidy’s ultimately just too challenging, in all the wrong ways. Even after many play sessions, we didn’t feel like we were learning what we needed to eventually master it, and that’s a big turnoff.

So yeah, Chosen One has its woes, but gameplay is what’s always made this series fun. If you’ve got some tolerance and some RTFM time, Chosen One will deliver.

Even if you ordinarily shy away from a daunting challenge, give this one a shot. As difficult as War of the Worlds is to conquer, it's also more than satisfying enough to be worth the struggle.

Mindless shooting of repetitive baddies and unlocking doors across 10 practically identical levels is not fun, and that is pretty much all you do here. [Feb 2004, p.82]

That simplicity is also its biggest problem--pointing and clicking requires little strategy, so rather than always playing, you'll be watching dudes fight. Yawn. [Dec 2008, p.73]

While both adults and children might enjoy the silliness, the simple hop-and-bop mechanics grow old immediately, and the camera's a mess. [Mar 2008, p.92]

It’d be too easy to say that Conquest will appeal only to diehard Tolkien fans; in fact, they’re the ones most likely to hate it.

A tiresome, soon-to-be-forgotten exercise in tedium. [Oct 2003, p.84]

But it’s not the mythology that brings Via Domus down — it’s the boring and uninspired gameplay, which consists of a bevy of puzzles using fuse panels, a few rudimentary action sequences, and some weak games of hide-and-seek.

Despite the awful visuals and crummy combat camera, watching the world react to your different play styles makes this short story a satisfying feudal tale that's worth seeing through. [Dec 2009, p.80]

Still, the writing and voice-overs match the quality of the cartoon. Is that praise? If you answer "yes," then you'll enjoy this game. [Feb 2011, p.76]

Demolishing a city may make for a fun weekend rental, but not quite an incredible one.

Though the combat grows repetitive, the game manages to look lovely while you slap around your foes. If you’re a fan of large-scale battle games à la Dynasty Warriors but prefer to play solely as one character, Circle of Doom makes for a great after-holiday snack.

The result is a techno-soundtracked, particle-effects-spewing mess that's no more fun to watch than it is to play. [Aug 2007, p.83]

The fast-paced simplicity of such a goofy goal made BurgerTime a hit in 1982's arcades, but World Tour tosses in fresh ingredients with little consideration for the damage they do to gameplay. [Oct 2011, p.81]

It's a testament to Tecmo's long-running reputation for making tough yet rewarding games that are hard to put down. [Nov 2005, p.124]

An annoying feature that requires you to “buy” unlocked events with earned points adds unwelcome repetition, and 12-person multiplayer only means sharing the pain with others. Steer clear.

The Tackle Alley mini-game is fun. [Aug 2010, p.77]

Fret Nice contains one thoroughly enjoyable musical world. Rock on. [Mar 2010, p.84]

The stop-and-go action, the occasional jumps, and the sheer ridiculousness of what you're taking part in lends every race a manic aspect that elicits more giggles than groans. [Holiday 2006, p.78]

Though it's fun to earn enough credit points to pimp your licensed Mazda, Toyota, or Nissan into a serious ride via performance upgrades, ITC's featureless concrete racing environments, detached driving physics, MIA damage modeling, and dated graphics bleed too much air from the tires. [Holiday 2006, p. 80]

You could pursue worse habits than giving your noodle a mild workout, but Brain Challenge provides little incentive to keep the appointment. [May 2008, p.76]

Fortunately, the combat and RPG gameplay are where this game sizzles. [Feb 2009, p.82]

It's a shame Harry Potter for Kinect doesn't quite pay proper homage to the series: the game has plenty of moments that would've been enjoyable if they weren't fettered by uneven difficulty and broken combat. As a game not matched up with a movie release, it should've been held back until it felt more magical.

Just can't match the splendor and great variety of the real-world games. [Mar 2010, p.81]